Today I decided to do a quick test of the new 50mm f/2 compared to the excellent 56mm f/1.2. The new 50mm f/2 is a compact, weather-resistant prime lens, while the older 56mm f/1.2 fills the class 85mm portrait focal length with an ultra-fast f/1.2 aperture. Obviously, the 56mm f/1.2 will provide over one stop…
Category: Shop Talk
Zeiss FE 50mm f/1.4 Planar vs. Zeiss FE 55mm f/1.8 Sonnar
Sony continues to crank out new lenses, and the release this summer of the new Zeiss branded FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Planar T* came as a bit of a shock, considering there is already a Zeiss branded normal prime that is widely considered to be one of the best autofocus normal lenses ever made, but…
Sony 85mm f/1.4 GM vs. Rokinon 85mm f/1.4 vs. Canon 100mm f/2
Today I’m comparing the new Sony 85mm f/1.4 G Master against the two full frame portrait primes I happen to own. I know many would like to see a comparison with the Batis 85mm (reviewed here), but alas, I do not have one handy. Still, this is an interesting comparison, as it pits the newest…
Fuji X-Pro 2 vs. Sony A7 II: Noise Comparison
The new Fuji X-Pro 2 is the first camera from Fujifilm since the release of the X-Series to feature an all-new image sensor. The new APS-C sized sensor is a 24 megapixel CMOS sensor with Fuji’s X-Trans filter array. The new sensor is also said to improve high ISO shooting when compared to the previous…
Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS vs. Canon EF 70-200mm f/4L
Today, I’m taking a quick look at two telephoto zoom lenses: the Sony FE 70-200mm f/4 G OSS and the Canon 70-200mm f/4L, and how they compare on the Sony A7 II. These two lenses may seem like odd things to compare, given that one lens is a native Sony E-mount zoom, while the other…
Hands-On: Fujifilm X-Pro 2, X70 and XF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6
Today, the fine folks at Fujifilm brought the new releases to my local camera store, Midwest Photo Exchange, for some hands on interaction with the latest Fuji releases, including the X-Pro 2, the X70 and the new 100-400mm f/4-5.6. I spent a fair bit of time with each camera, but of course this falls well…
Fujifilm X-Series Overview Part 1 – Cameras
When looking at cameras and lenses, there are so many choices to make, and with the cost of gear, it can be hard to make these choices without being informed. A large part of the work I do for this site has to do with gear reviews, and as such I have the opportunity to…
Mirrorless Year in Review 2015
Another year is drawing to a close, and 2015 saw the further rise of mirrorless, thanks largely to the success of the Sony full-frame E-mount system, though the other mirrorless makers continued to improve their systems and flesh out lens and camera lineups, with Micro 4/3 and Fuji X both rounding into nearly complete camera…